
MEADE 


BY 

(WARD THURSTON 



ALWA 

Complete 1 


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The John J. and Hanna M. McManus 
and Morris N. and Chesley V. Young 
Collection 


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negro 


PUMPKIN HUSKS. Shokegan and Ko-ko-mo lunny situations 
and stories told on our country cousins. Haps and mis- 
haps of the village cut-ups and rubes. 


MUSTARD PLASTERS, Pulls the laughs. This is the best pro- 
duction to date, of stories and jokes told by and about 
the Erie Hebrew Pressman. 


ON THE TENNESSEE, by Opie Read. Including character 
sketches, southern stories, yarns, melodies and negro 
superstitions, etc. 

THE WATERMELON TRUST. Coon jokes and darky stories 
up-to-the-minute as told by Dockstader, McIntyre and 
Heath and other famous minstrels. 




TOUCH DOWNS, by the Funny Man. A choice lot of funny- 
graphs, collected for those who enjoy a good thing in wit 
and humor. Full of caricatures. 

HE WAS FROM MISSOURI. He wanted to be shown. Hinkle 
goes to Chicago, and is arrested on a “serious charge.’’ 
It is full of fun, smoke and religion. 


For sale by all book and newsdealers, or sent post- 
paid to any address at 25c each, any two for 45c; any 
three for 63c, or any five for $1.00 in stamps, currency 9 
postal or express money order by the publishers 


M. A. DONOHUE & CO. 

701-727 South Dearborn Street, CHICAGO 


MODERN 

CARD TRICKS 

And how to do them. 

CONTAINING 

All the Principles of Sleight-of-Hand, with Careful 
and Easy Instructions. 


By 

HOWARD THURSTON 
*‘The Man Who Mystified Hermann . ’* 


FULLY ILLUSTRATED 




/ 


Chicago 

M. A. DONOHUE & CO. 
701-727 S. Dearborn St 






















Copyright, 1903, 
Henry J. Wehman. 


The JOHN J. vnS HANNA M. MrNANTJS 
and MORRIS N. and CHRSLEZ V. ioUNO 
Collection . 

— Oift^-Oct, 12, 1955 

rakr.. 



HOWARD THURSTON’S 
CARD TRICKS 



CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER I. 

A Few Incidents in the Life of Howard 
Thurston, Premier Card Manipulator of 
the World, . I 

CHAPTER II. 

Indispensable Sleights, t . . . .10 

CHAPTER III. 

The Continuous Front- and Back-Hand Palm, 
with Cards and Tricks in Connection 
Therewith, 19 

CHAPTER IV. 

The “ Thurston ” System of Expert Card Ma- 
nipulation (Now Published for the First 
Time), 38 









CHAPTER I. 


A Few Incidents in the Life of Howard 
Thurston. 

Howard Thurston, the Premier Card Manip- 
ulator of the World, and known throughout Amer- 
ica as “ The Man who Mystified Hermann,” was 
born at Columbus, Ohio, on the 20th of July, 1869, 
and is therefore now in his thirty-first year. 

Originally intended by his father — a gentleman 
of firm Christian principles — for the ministry, he 
entered the D. L. Moody College, in Northfield, 
Mass., and completed a course of five years’ train- 
ing. During this period he came to the conclu- 
sion that Providence had never intended him to go 
through life as a parson, and his natural love of 
Magic always predominated over his liking for the 
more serious subject he was studying. 

Upon graduating with honors from the College, 
very much against his father’s wish he decided 
to adopt Magic as his profession. (How many 
other well-meaning enthusiasts have adopted this 
procedure, and with what result?) He did so, but 
found that there were already too many “all- 
round ” Conjurers in the business. This some- 


2 


Howard thurston's card tricks. 


what damped his ardor at first; but, after cogitat- 
ing for some considerable time, he decided to adopt 
a single branch of the Magician's Art, viz., Card 
Tricks. 

Then came many weary months of assiduous 
practice, the greater part of the time being occu- 
pied in a strict adherence to a special system of 
strengthening and giving additional flexibility to 
the muscles of the hands (a system which, much 
as I should like, I am not in a position to divulge), 
and after five years’ travelling in America, pre- 
senting a Magical Entertainment of two hours in 
length in the smaller cities, Mr. Thurston first 
made his bow to a public audience as a Card Ma- 
nipulator at the Fountain Square Theatre, Cincin- 
nati, Ohio, in January, 1895. Since then his 
career has been one of unprecedented success and 
brilliancy. 

One of the chief characteristics of Mr. Thurs- 
ton’s act is his graceful stage deportment. No 
other living artiste, in my opinion (and I have 
witnessed the performances of the best Prestidigi- 
tateurs of the past quarter of a century) can com- 
pare with him in the incomparable manner in 
which he presents his tricks. 

There is nothing automatic about this Past Mas- 
ter of the Art. During the whole of his per- 
formance he is thinking, and always on the alert, 
watching for new ideas to occur to his energetic 
brain. Magic, like Literature is a double Art: 
Mechanical Magic is the Prose, while Sleight-of- 


Howard Thurston's card tricks. 3 

Hand is the Poetry, and it is in this latter branch 
that this great artiste excels. 

Mr. Thur ton’s pihe de resistance is his celebrated 
Rising- Card Trick, with which he absolutely 
mystified that guardian of an honored name in the 
world of deception — Hermann the Great. 

With regard to this trick I think it will be of 
interest to the readers of this book, to reproduce 
at this point the following extract from the Denver 
Sunday Post y of October 23d, 1898 : 

“ Hermann, the Great, Mystified by 
Thurston. 

" Hermann, the magician, and his entire com- 
pany, including Mme. Hermann, were nonplussed 
last night on the Tabor Grand stage by another 
magician. The scene occurred about 7 130 o’clock, 
before the prestidigitateur had dressed for his per- 
formance, and while Mme. Hermann was yet in 
street costume. Both had come in with the under- 
standing that they were to witness a performance 
before commencing their own. 

“ The chief actor in the scene was Howard 
Thurston, who has been filling a two weeks’ en- 
gagement at the Orpheum Theatre. 

“ Hermann, having heard of Thurston’s act, or 
trick, called at the theatre one evening to witness 
it, and was so pleased with it that he requested 
the young man to call. In response, Thurston 
called on Hermann, and they discussed the act. 


4 Howard thurston’s card tricks. 

Hermann told Thurston that he would be de- 
lighted to have him give the trick before his entire 
company, and, if its members were as favorably 
impressed with it as he himself, he would pur- 
chase it. 

“ Thurston set last evening as the time of the 
trial exhibition. The drop curtain was lowered 
and Thurston told all the company to line up be- 
fore him on the stage. In the group of auditors, 
besides Mr. and Mrs. Hermann, were W. E. Rob- 
inson, chief illusionist of the company, also a rep- 
resentative of the Denver Post, the numerous stage 
hands and carpenters attached to the company and 
the theatre. 

“ Thurston occupied a position in the centre of 
the stage. Four of the witnesses drew a card 
from a pack which had been shuffled, looked at it, 
noted the denomination silently, and replaced it in 
Thurston’s hands. Then he withdrew to a posi- 
tion further in the rear, and asked one of the 
spectators what card he had taken out of the pack. 

“ ‘It was the ten of diamonds/ was the answer. 

“‘Ten of diamonds, come forth!’ commanded 
Thurston, who held the pack. Instantly the ten 
of diamonds arose from his left hand and ascended 
two feet to the right hand. Addressing the next 
man, he said : ‘What card did you draw ? ’ 

“‘The jack of hearts/ 

“ Thurston ordered the jack of hearts to ascend, 
and it instantly obeyed. 

“To the next man Thurston propounded a sim- 


Howard thurston’s card tricks. 5 

ilar question, with like results. He then asked 
the next man, Hermann himself, to name his card, 
which happened to be the ten of clubs. 

‘ “ Let the ten of clubs appear ! ’ said Thurston, 
and the familiar ten-spot silently arose as if pro- 
pelled by an unseen power. Hermann smiled with 
wonder at the performance, and was completely 
mystified. Afterward Hermann acknowledged the 
trick was a winner, and offered to purchase it. 

“ Thurston was especially gratified at the fact 
that his trick was not seen through by the Her- 
mann party. He had mystified the mystifier.” 

When this episode became known, there was a 
great rush on the part of the public to witness this 
trick, and since then Mr. Thurston has never 
passed a single week out of an engagement. 

In addition to his being otherwise highly con- 
nected socially, Mr. Thurston is the nephew of 
United States Senator John M. Thurston, of Ne- 
braska. 

I include the following opinions of well-known 
newspapers, taken from a large, well-filled scrap- 
book now before me, of flattering Press notices, 
clipped from leading newspapers of the world, as 
I am of opinion that everything appertaining to 
Conjuring is of interest to students of books of 
this description. 

San Francisco Examiner , March 27th, 1899. 

“ Howard Thurston has accomplished the seem- 
ingly impossible in presenting a sleight-of-hand 


6 Howard thurston’s card tricks. 

performance in a gentlemanly manner. The charm 
of his act is quite as much in the way he does it 
as in what he does. Some of his tricks are astound- 
ing.” 

New York World, August 2ist, 1890. 

" Admirable as is the work of all these, the act 
of Mr. Thurston provokes the keenest interest, 
owing to its novelty and to his remarkable expert- 
ness. 

“As a manipulator of cards, he must be the 
envy of every slick and smooth card-sharp in the 
country. He is more adroit in his tricks than 
Kellar, Hermann, or any of the other great necro- 
mancers who have juggled the pasteboards among 
other feats of legerdemain. 

“ His tricks are worth studying by all who think 
they know a thing or two about shuffling cards.” 

In the United States Mr. Thurston always con- 
cluded his entertainment by producing numerous 
packs of cards from different parts of a spectator’s 
clothing, finishing up by taking a live duck from 
under the gentleman’s coat-collar. 

With regard to the duck for this latter trick 
which Mr. Thurston carried with him in America, 
his trusted and intelligent colored assistant, Keno, 
who has been with him for three years, tells rather 
a humorous story, which, in addition to proving the 
shrewdness and sharpness of the lad, is distinctly 
interesting. 

In Los Angeles, Cal., where Mr. Thurston was 


Howard thurston's card tricks. 


7 


playing, his assistant was boarding with a colored 
family. One day, when a wedding was about to 
be celebrated in the house, they told him he had 
better go out in the yard and look for his duck, as 
they had missed it, and were afraid it had got away. 
He did so, but could find no duck. Poor Keno 
was in a fix; but being aware of a certain weak- 
ness for appropriating other people’s poultry dis- 
played by some classes of colored folk, he came to 
the conclusion that Mister Duck was intended to 
form part of the wedding repast. He thereupon 
concocted a story to the effect that it did not mat- 
ter about the duck being lost, as the day previously 
it had eaten, by accident, at the theatre a large 
quantity of poison which Mr. Thurston used for 
cleaning his diamonds, and the doctor had told Mr. 
Thurston he had better buy another one, as it 
would certainly die from the effects of the poison 
within two or three days. Keno then went off to 
the theatre, and on his return at night was in- 
formed that his duck had in some mysterious man- 
ner found its way back into the yard, which, upon 
investigation, he found to be true! 

After being the recipient of many flattering pro- 
posals to appear in Europe, Mr. Thurston decided 
to cross the Atlantic, and opened at the Palace 
Theatre, London, on November 12th, 1900, his 
success being instantaneous. H is~original engage- 
ment was for four weeks, but he went serenely on 
his way, the applause increasing at each perform- 
ance, for twenty-six consecutive weeks at this 


8 Howard thurston’s card tricks. 

theatre, which is conceded by all to be the most 
fashionable and beautiful vaudeville house in 
Europe. 

The following extract from the London Mail is 
of interest, and I include it : 

“The King of Cards. 

“At the Palace Theatre there is just now ap- 
pearing Mr. H. Thurston, who with some justice 
calls himself the ‘ King of Cards. ’ Mr. Thurston 
has developed quite a new form of card entertain- 
ment, one which not only amuses, but absolutely 
mystifies, the audience. He has brought to a pitch 
of perfection the art of palming a pack of cards, 
with results which can be readily imagined by 
any one acquainted with card tricks. He has won- 
derful digital strength, and his latest feat of dis- 
tributing a pack of cards singly throughout the 
audience quite brings down the house. Not only 
does he throw single cards into the gallery of what 
is one of the largest theatres in town, but with 
such accuracy that he can almost throw to any 
particular individual in the audience.” 

His success was all the more gratifying, inas- 
much as he was preceded in London by many ex- 
pert card manipulators. 

Being a polished gentleman both on and off the 
stage, Mr. Thurston made, during his stay in the 
great Metropolis, a host of friends ; but this does 
not seem at all strange to any one personally ac- 


Howard thurston’s card tricks. 9 

quainted with this genial and affable artiste. In 
addition to highly salaried engagements booked in 
Paris, Berlin, Vienna, St. Petersburg, etc., etc., Mr. 
Thurston holds contracts which will keep him busy 
for the next four years. A gentleman and a born 
artiste to his finger-tips, Howard Thurston — 
Premier Card Manipulator of the World — will un- 
doubtedly cause his name to be a household word 
among conjurers for very many years to come. 

Bernard Eustace Lennox. 
Piccadilly, London, January, igoi , 


CHAPTER II. 


Indispensable Sleights. 

I am of course aware that the “pass,” ‘‘force,” 
and “ change” have often been explained in the 
numerous excellent treatises on Card Tricks in 
existence, but I feel it my duty to include descrip- 
tions of them herein, inasmuch as many of the 
most brilliant illusions with cards would be impos- 
sible but for a thorough knowledge of these. So 
as not to tax the patience of my readers who are 
advanced in the Art, I will make my descriptions 
as terse as possible, first of all explaining what is 
acknowledged to be the foundation of card ma- 
nipulation, viz. : 

THE PASS. 

For the accomplishment of this sleight, the pack 
is held as in Fig. i, with the little finger of the 
left hand inserted over the card to be brought to 
the top. Now cover the pack with the right hand. 
Grasp the lower portion of the pack lengthways 
between the second finger at the upper, and the 
thumb at the lower end, the left thumb lying 


Howard thurston’s card tricks. 


it 



Fig. x. 

slightly bent across the pack. Press the upper 
edge of the lower packet into the fork of the left 
thumb so that the two packets will be in the posi- 



FlO. a. 



12 Howard thurston’s card tricks. 

f 

tion depicted in Fig. 2. The fingers of the left 
hand are now extended, causing the upper portion 
of the pack to be drawn away, at the same time 
raising (with the right hand) the lower edge of the 
under pack till the edges of the packets just clear 
each other (see Fig. 3), when, by the mere act of 
closing the left hand, they will be brought together 



Fig. 3. 


as at first, save that they will have changed places, 
and the desired card will now be on the top. The 
letters A and B in the illustrations will make this 
clear. 

The “ pass ” will appear exceedingly difficult of 
execution at the outset ; but with careful practice, 
aiming more at neatness than rapidity, the differ- 
ent movements which I have described will melt, 



Howard thurston’s card tricks. 13 

as it were, into one, and the sleight can then be 
accomplished in an absolutely indetectable manner. 

There are numerous other methods of making 
the pass, some with the aid of only one hand ; but 
as the above is conceded to be the most perfect, I 
have thought it necessary for me to explain merely 
this one. 

THE FORCE. 

The sleight with the above title consists of com- 
pelling a spectator to select a certain card, and is 
indispensable in certain tricks. 

It is next to impossible in writing to teach the 
novice to force a card ; but the idea will very soon 
become apparent after the learner has made a few 
experiments. The card which you desire selected 
is, in the first place, either at the top or bottom of 
the pack, the pass is now made (bringing the par- 
ticular card to the middle) and the pack spread out 
fanwise, the second finger of the right hand mean- 
while pressing on the bottom of the necessary card, 
as in Fig. 4. A spectator is now asked to select a 
card from the pack, the performer meantime run- 
ning the cards quickly from hand to hand, and, as 
the drawer’s fingers approach the pack, the second 
finger of the right hand literally pushes the desired 
card into his hand, as in Fig. 5, which represents 
the card being pushed forward. The card to be 
forced should be a little more exposed than the 
rest. This, however, is only the A B C of the 


14 HOWARD THURSTON'S CARD TRICKS. 




Fig. 4. 

“force,” the successful operation of which can 
only be accomplished after innumerable trials. 
Above all, don’t be in a great hurry to get it over. 


Fig. 5, 


Howard thurston’s card tricks. 15 

Endeavor to appear to be absolutely indifferent as 
to where the card is taken, even going so far as to 
say: “Have your choice, sir; take any card you 
wish.” 

If by any chance the force fails, and another 
card is chosen, the performer need not fear a con- 
tretemps , but with a “Thank you, sir; kindly re- 
place your card anywhere you like in the pack,” 
put the little finger on it, make the pass bringing 
it to the top, from which position it can be palmed 
off, or the trick finished as fancy dictates. The 
first card is now “forced” on some more accom- 
modating person. 



THE CHANGE. 

A card held in the hand mysteriously changes 
to an entirely different one. 

There are several methods of performing the 
above sleight; but I shall describe one only, 
which I consider to be the best. 

The card to be changed is held between the first 
and second finger of the right hand, the pack being 
held in the left, with the card for which the first 
is to be changed slightly projecting from the top. 
The right hand now makes a sweeping motion, and, 
as it passes the pack, leaves the card at the bottom 
and brings away, with the thumb and first finger 


1 6 HOWARD THURSTON S CARD TRICKS. 


(see Fig. 6), the top one. This may appear to the 
neophyte to be impossible of indetectable execu- 
tion, but with even a little practice it will be found 



Fig. 6. 


that a perfect illusion can be created. If the body 
makes a half turn from right to left, it will greatly 
facilitate the deception, or if done in the act of ad- 
dressing a spectator, and slightly bending forward 
at the same time. 



THE ORDINARY PALM. 

It is often necessary to palm or conceal a card 
in the palm of the hand. Suppose, for instance, a 



roward thurston’s card tricks. 17 



card is chosen from the pack and replaced. The 
“ pass ” is then made and the card brought to the 
top. The pack is now held in the left hand, the 
right hand approaches the same, and with the sec- 
ond finger pushes forward the top card an eighth 
of an inch or more, at the same time exerting a 
slight pressure upon it. This causes the card to 
be tilted into the palm of the right hand, which 
forthwith grasps the pack between the first finger 
and thumb. (See Fig. 7.) 

The pack can now safely be handed to another 
spectator to thoroughly shuffle, and, when returned. 


Fig. 7. 

the performer has no difficulty in secretly replacing 
the palmed card on top. 

While the card is palmed, allow the hand to 



1 8 Howard tiiurston's card tricks. 

hang down in a careless position, and never, under 
any circumstances, even glance at it. 

The beginner should devote as much time as 
possible to the practice of the foregoing sleights, 
as when he is proficient innumerable new tricks 
and combinations will suggest themselves to his 
mind. 


CHAPTER III. 


The Continuous Front and Back Hand- 
Palm and Tricks in Connection There- 
with. 

The novel sleight with the above title is of com- 
paratively recent invention, the idea it embodies 
being to enable the performer to conceal one or 
more cards in his hand, although at any moment 
showing back and front of the hand to be perfectly 
empty. 

To successfully accomplish this feat, great digi- 
tal dexterity is essential, but this, of course, can 
be attained by assiduous practice. 

I will first of all describe the method of working 
this sleight with one card. 

To begin with, the card is held between the tips 
of the middle finger and thumb, as in Fig. 8. 

The first and little fingers now grip the card, as 
in Fig. 9. 

The two middle fingers are next bent and 
brought down under the card and round to the 
front of same, thereby causing the card to revolve 


20 


Howard thurston’s card tricks. 



Fig. 8. 



* between the first and fourth fingers, as though on 
an axis, and assume the position on the back of the 


Fig. g. 


Howard tiiurston's card tricks. 


21 



hand clipped between the first and second and third 
and fourth fingers, depicted in Fig. io. 

After considerable practice it will be found that 
lall the movements I have just described will be- 
come practically one, and the card will apparently 
-vanish from the hand without the most astute spec- 


Fig. io. 

tator having the faintest idea where, especially if 
the manipulation is accomplished with a sweeping 
motion, as though the card were thrown in the 
air. 

Now to reverse the card to the front of the hand 
again, so as to enable the back of the hand to be 
shown to the audience. 

To accomplish this, the fingers bend forward so 
that the thumb can press on the middle of the face 




22 HOWARD THURSTON’S CARD TRICKS. 

of the card (see Fig. 1 1), and pull it sharply round 
to the front of the hand, where it is held between 
the fingers, as shown in Fig. 12. 

The principal difficulty encountered by students 
when learning this sleight, is to prevent the audi- 
ence from catching a glimpse of the cards as they 


are brought from the back to the front of the hand, 
or vice versd. This can, however, be surmounted 
by practising before a mirror, as you will then be 
able to ascertain the exact angle at which the 
movement can be indetectably accomplished. 

To further heighten the effect of the sleight, 
when the card is in the position (as in Fig. 12), 
with the back of the hand, of course, facing the 
audience, I push the card down into the palm, as 
shown in Fig. 13. 


Howard Thurston's card tricks. 


23 


This movement, which is absolutely impossible 
to describe in writing, will become apparent to the 
learner after a few trials. 

With the card in this position, of course the 
fingers and thumb can be spread wide apart. 

When manipulating more than one card, the 



Fig. 12. 


above movements all hold good, with the exception 
of bringing the cards from the back of the hand to 
the front. Instead of the thumb pulling the cards 
round to the front, which would practically be im- 
possible, it simply presses upon them, while the 
first finger moves to the other end of the cards, 
and pushes them down into the attitude illustrated 
in Fig. 12. 

The foregoing is the correct method of exe- 



24 Howard thurston’s card tricks. 

cuting the continuous front and back hand- 
palm. 


There are, of course, innumerable additions to 



Fig. 13. 


the original idea, a few of which, used by me in 
my act, I will now describe. 



THE DISAPPEARANCE OF FIVE CARDS 
ONE AT A TIME. 

First Method. 

In this trick the performer takes one card, as in 
Fig. 8, and back-palms it. He then takes another 
one between the middle finger and thumb, and 


Howard thurston’s card tricks. 25 




slides it on to the back of the hand on top of the 
first one, the first and fourth fingers slightly open- 
ing to receive it. The other three cards are treated 
in the same manner. 

This sleight will be found somewhat difficult at 
first, but, being so effective, it will amply repay 
the performer for any time he may spend on its ac- 
quirement, as I consider it one of the best tricks 
in my act 


Second Method. 

In this method of performing the foregoing 
after the artiste has back-palmed one card, in 


Fig. 14- 



26 Howard thurston’s card tricks. 

act of placing the second card in position, he 
palms off with his left hand from the back of the 
right the first card vanished. (See Fig. 14, which 
represents the first card being removed). This is, 
of course, repeated with the remainder. Each 
card vanished is palmed off into the left hand in 
the act of placing the next one in position between 
the finger and thumb of the right, thus enabling 
the performer to show that he only holds one card 
in his right hand. The remaining four can then, 
if desired, be produced from the side of the left leg. 

The sleight is, I believe, unknown to conjurers, 
and, if neatly executed, will cause great astonish- 
ment. 



THE PRODUCTION OF CARDS ONE AT 
A TIME AT THE FINGER-TIPS FROM 
THE BACK-HAND PALM. 

This is one of the prettiest effects in connection 
with the Back-hand Palm. 

After the performer has vanished by means of 
the back-hand palm, say, five cards, and shown 
both sides of the hands to be empty, he proceeds 
to reproduce the cards one by one at the finger- 
tips, as in Fig. 15. 


Howard thurston's card tricks. 27 




This is accomplished in the following manner: 
When it is desired to produce one card from the 
back of the hand, the thumb bends round to the 


Fig. 15. 


Fig. 16. 



28 Howard Thurston's card tricks. 

middle of the nearest end of the outside card and 
literally pulls it away from the rest, the first and 
fourth fingers aiding in its release by slightly re- 
laxing their pressure (see Fig. 16). Once quite 
free from the back of the hand, the card is pushed 
by the thumb into the position depicted in Fig. 
15. This must be done very slowly at first, but, 
of course, in the actual performance all the above 
movements must be made simultaneously. If this 
is done with a slight wave of the hand, it will ap- 
pear to the audience that the performer actually 
caught the card from the air. 

The effect of this trick can be further heightened 
by the performer, after having caught, say, three 
cards, showing his right hand to be absolutely 
empty, back and front, and the fingers spread wide 
apart. The following is the procedure : 

As each card is produced at the right-hand 
finger-tips, it is placed in the left hand. (Fig. 17 
shows the exact positions of both hands.) When 
the performer has caught the third card, in the act 
of placing it in the left hand, he secretly leaves the 
cards, still back-palmed, behind the three cards 
now in the left hand, gripped by the second finger. 
(See Fig. 18, which represents a back view show- 
ing the position of the hand and cards.) 

The right hand is now shown empty, and the 
performer makes the remark : “ No ; certainly not. 
Nothing between the fingers. All we have here 
is three cards,” meanwhile counting with the thumb 
of the right hand those in the left hand. Under 


C *Cai 




HOWARD THURSTON'S CARD TRICKS. 2$ 


J? iU» 


Fig. 17. 


CARD TRICKS. 


3C HOWARD THURSTON S 



Fig. 19. 


cover of this movement the two hidden cards are 
again back-palmed in the right hand (see Fig. 19), 
and reproduced at the will of the artist 



THE PRODUCTION OF CARDS AT THE 
FINGER-TIPS FROM THE ORDINARY 
PALM. 

My original method of producing the cards 
singly at the finger-tips, with the back of the hand 
toward the audience having met with such a great 
amount of success, I am pleased to acquaint my 
readers with the correct method of its execution. 




Howard Thurston’s card tricks. 


Fig. 20. 

From the ordinary palm the cards are transferred 
to the finger palm, as in Fig. 20. The little finger 
now very slightly relaxes its pressure on the cards. 


Fig. si. 



32 Howard thurston’s card tricks. 


when it will be found upon practice that one card 
will be released (see Fig. 21). 

The thumb now comes down under the end of 
the card and pushes it up into the position depicted 



Fig. 22. 

in Fig. 22, the back of the hand, of course, facing 
the audience. 

I am usually in the habit of performing this 
sleight with from twenty-five to thirty ordinary 
cards, but three or four will be quite enough for 
the beginner to commence with. 



Howard Thurston’s cahd tricks. 


33 


PASSING A CARD THROUGH THE 
KNEES, Etc. 

A card — say the ace of spades, — is held in the 
left hand in the position shown in Fig. 23. It 



Fig. 23. 


now vanishes, immediately reappearing in the right 
hand (see Fig. 24), having apparently passed 
through the knees. It is next passed back to its 
original position, and then again into the right 
hand. 


3 


34 Howard thurston’s card tricks. 





Howard thurston’s card tricks. 35 


FiG. 26. 

Both hands now assume the attitude illustrated 
an Fig. 25. The card is caused to apparently pass 
along the arm into the left hand (see Fig. 26), and 




36 Howard thurston's card tricks. 

then back into the right (see Fig. 27). It is then 
taken in the left hand and vanished, both hands 
being shown empty, and the card is reproduced at 
the finger-tips as though caught in the air. 

This, to my mind, excellent trick is accom- 
plished chiefly by the performer being able to ex- 
ecute the front- and back-hand palm with both 
hands with equal facility. There are, of course, 
two cards used, and as the method for secretly ob- 
taining possession of the duplicate card is some- 
what unique and novel, I have come to the conclu- 
sion that I had better describe this trick in detail, 
as it is the foundation for innumerable other 
sleights. 

In the first place, the performer takes in reality 
two aces of spades, but held closely together so 
that they appear to the audience as one card only. 
Both cards are now back- palmed, and hands shown 
empty. One only of the cards is “ caught ” at the 
finger-tips, and this is forthwith taken into the left 
hand and held in the first position for passing 
through the knees. It is now (with a swinging 
motion of the hand as if to throw the card behind 
the knee) back-paimed, and the duplicate (which 
has remained on the back of the other hand) pro- 
duced in the right hand. This can be repeated at 
the wish of the performer. A certain time must 
be spent in getting the hands to work harmoniously 
together. If this is done, the illusion is perfect. 
The passing of the card along the arm is, of course, 
accomplished in a similar manner. 


Howard thurston’s card tricks. 37 

The right hand now places the card which is 
visible to the audience between the second finger 
and thumb of the left hand, which forthwith back- 
palms it on top of the duplicate (by the method 
described on page 25). Both hands are now shown 
empty, and as a finale the two cards are produced 
as one and laid on the table, this being easily 
brought about by tightly holding them together as 
in the first stage of the trick. 



CHAPTER IV. 


The “Thurston” System of Expert Card 
Manipulation. 

In this chapter I propose describing a system of 
Card Manipulation originated by myself a few years 
ago. I am, however, indebted to my friend, 
Mr. Si Stebbens, of America, for many valuable 
suggestions and ideas with regard to its concep- 
tion. 

The series of tricks about to be described are 
specially recommended to professionals, amateurs, 
and novices alike, as they are all absolutely new. 

The whole system can be thoroughly learned in 
an hour, and when once this is done, the performer 
can exhibit tricks with cards which, to the unin- 
itiated, seem altogether to transcend human ability. 

A few effects to be obtained with the aid of this 
system are as follows : 

Seven or eight cards are selected (not forced) in 
a bunch from a previously shuffled pack. The per- 
former can instantly name the chosen cards. 

The artist first shuffling the pack, a spectator is 
then asked to name any card, whereupon the per- 


Howard Thurston’s L vrd tricks. 39 

former states its correct position in the pack, and, 
to corroborate his assertion, immediately proceeds 
to cut the pack at the desired card. 

Three cards are selected by a member of the 
audience, and, without looking at same, are placed 
by himself in his pocket. The performer now 
calls out the name of a certain card, which we will 
suppose is the eight of diamonds, and requests the 
spectator to take one of the three cards from his 
pocket, which, upon examination, is shown to be 
the eight of diamonds. This is repeated with the 
remaining two cards. 

The foregoing are but a few of the many bril- 
liant and bewildering tricks possible of perform- 
ance by the method I am about to describe. 

I have for some time past been accustomed to 
present this series of tricks at all my private en- 
gagements, and I can, without hesitation, emphat- 
ically state that for parlor or drawing-room work 
there are no better card-tricks extant. 

The principal secret of the whole of the tricks 
herein explained lies in a novel prearrangement of 
the pack of cards used. 

The cards should, in the first place, be laid out 
on the table in the order as shown on following 
page. 

The second card (the four of spades) should now 
be placed on the first one (the ace of clubs), then 
the third one (the seven of hearts), and so on to 
the end. 

It will be observed that each card is three higher 


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Howard thurston’s card tricks. 41 

than the one immediately behind it, the arrange- 
ment of the suits being: Clubs, spades, hearts, 
diamonds. The precise arrangement of the suits 
is practically immaterial, and it would, perhaps, be 
as well for the student to adopt a system of his 
own. The arrangement of the Court cards is: 
Jack — 1 1, queen — 12, king — 13, so that supposing 
the bottom card of the pack was the jack of clubs, 
the performer would instantly know that the next 
card beginning at the top of the pack is the ace 
of spades. 

The performer should, by means of his pocket 
or otherwise, exchange the pack he has been 
previously using, for a similar pack, prepared as 
just described. 

For stage or drawing-room purposes, a very in- 
genious little piece of apparatus has recently been 
devised to enable the artiste to indetectably change 
one pack for another, and as it would be most use- 
ful in this case, I think I cannot do better than 
give my readers a description of it. 

The principal part of this piece of apparatus con- 
sists of a metal ring, 6in. or 8in. in diameter, to 
which is attached a black cloth bag. To the ring 
is soldered a flat strip of metal, having riveted to 
it a spring clip. By means of a sharp point pro- 
truding from the rear, the apparatus can be easily 
and quickly attached to the back of a chair by 
pushing the point into the woodwork (see Fig. 28). 
In the clip is inserted a pack of cards arranged in 
the order I have explained, which the performer 



42 Howard thurston’s card tricks. 


must substitute for an ordinary pack by means of 
the following ruse : 

With the pack in the right hand, he takes hold 
of the chair in such a manner that the thumb only 
is visible to the audience, the pack and the fingers 
being hidden by the back of the chair. 


Fig. 28. 


The left hand now takes hold of the seat of the 
chair, which is set on one side, as if it were in the 
way. During this operation the pack of cards is 
dropped from the right hand into the bag, and the 
duplicate pack removed from the clip. If this is 
done neatly and without undue haste, the audi- 
ence will never suspect that a change has been ac- 
complished. 

A more simple change, but which will answer 
the purpose quite as well, especially for an in> 


Howard Thurston’s card tricks. 43 

promptu performance, is to simply place the pack 
which you have been using in your coat pocket, and 
an instant later take out from the same pocket the 
prepared pack. 

The performer next proceeds to make what is 
known as a false shuffle with the prepared pack. 
As this is a most useful adjunct to many beautiful 
experiments with cards, I will describe two of the 
methods employed in its execution. 



First Method. 

This is one of the very many deceptive sleights 
originated by the celebrated Professor Charlier, 
and is undoubtedly the best false shuffle in exist- 
ence, but owing to the great amount of practice 
required for its successful accomplishment, it is 
rarely made use of except by professionals, but if 
thoroughly mastered the performer can deceive 
experts. 

The pack is held in the left hand, and three or 
four of the top cards are passed into the right. 
Now pass the remaining cards in small parcels al- 
ternately above and below these, but the cards that 
are passed below are taken from the top of the left- 
hand packet, and the cards that are placed above 


44 Howard thurston’s card tricks. 

are passed from the bottom of the left-hand packet, 
this being exactly the reverse of the ordinary 
movement. 

To pass the cards from the top of the left-hand 
packet to the bottom of the right-hand packet is 
fairly easy, they being pushed forward with the 
left thumb, but it is the reverse movement that is 
difficult. 

I recommend this style of false shuffle to the 
lover of deceptive sleights, but for those who do 
not care to devote sufficient time for its indetect- 
able execution I herewith describe a very easy, but 
at the same time effective, false shuffle originated 
by myself. 



Second Method. 


The pack is held in both hands, as in Fig. 29. 
The lower half of the pack is now removed with 
the right hand, but in doing so a few of the hinder- 
most cards of the pack in the left hand are left 
slightly protruding, as in Fig. 30. 

The parcel in the right hand is now replaced on 
the front of the pack. If this is repeated with 
rapidity, the effect to the audience will be that the 
cards are thoroughly mixed, whereas in reality 
they are only cut. 


Howard thurston’s card tricks. 45 


Armed with the prearranged pack, and the abil- 
ity to execute one of the false shuffles, the per* 



fig. 29 . 


former is now ready to present the following series 
of tricks : 





4 6 Howard Thurston’s card tricks. 



TO INSTANTLY NAME ANY CARD 
CHOSEN. 

The pack is spread out fanwise to a spectator, 
with a request for him to select a card. When 


Fig. 30. 


this is done, the performer, in a casual manner, 
cuts the cards at the point where the chosen card 
was removed, thereby bringing the card that was 
next above the selected one to the bottom of the 


Howard thurston’s card tricks. 47 

pack, and the artiste has simply to catch a glimpse 
of the bottom card, which tells him the name of 
the chosen one. For instance, suppose the bottom 
card was the six of spades, the performer knows 
that the selected card must be the nine of hearts, 
because hearts follow spades, and, therefore, the 
next card (the one drawn) is a heart, and it will 
be remembered in the arrangement of the pack 
that each card is three higher than the preceding 
one. Therefore, if the bottom card is the six of 
spades, the selected card will be the nine of hearts. 



TO TELL THE NAMES OF ANY NUMBER 
OF CARDS CHOSEN. 

A spectator is asked to take out a few cards in 
a bunch — eight or nine, or in fact as many as he 
likes. The cut is now made, and the bottom card 
noted, and the performer is able to instantly name 
the chosen cards. When this has been done, if 
the cards are replaced on the bottom of the pack 
one by one in the order as chosen, the pack will 
still be in the correct condition for further 
tricks. 

When naming the cards selected, so as not to 
give any astute member of the audience a chance 
to observe that each card is three spots higher than 


48 Howard thurston’s card tricks. 

the preceding one, it is advisable not to call them 
out in their exact order. 

Supposing the cards selected were the jack of 
spades, ace of hearts, four of diamonds, seven of 
clubs, ten of spades, king of hearts, three of dia- 
monds, and six of clubs, the performer could name 
them in the following manner, thereby eliminating 
all suspicion of prearrangement : 

Jack of spades, ace of hearts, then pass the four 
of diamonds and call the seven of clubs, then call 
the four of diamonds. But in placing the four of 
diamonds on the bottom of the pack, be sure to 
get it under the seven of clubs so as not to upset 
the order of arrangement. The performer will now 
have the seven of clubs on the bottom, so will in- 
stantly know that the ten of spades is the next card 
to be called. 

In performing this trick I generally ask three 
or four members of the audience to each select a 
number of cards — all in bunches — from the top of 
the portion of cards held in the left hand. 

It is well to ask those who have selected cards 
to mix them before starting to call out their names, 
as this disarranges the order of the cards they hold, 
otherwise they might note that the cards in their 
possession were called in the order they held them. 



Howard Thurston’s card tricks. 


49 


TO TELL THE EXACT POSITION IN THE 
PACK OF ANY CARD NAMED BY THE 
AUDIENCE. 

The following explanation will require a little 
study, but if the rules are followed just as stated 
below, the student will soon comprehend the idea 



Fig. 31. 

f intend to present, and I dare say will be greatly 
pleased with the result. In my mind it is the key 
to the greatest combination of card tricks in ex- 
istence. 

To begin with, the card is named by the audi- 
ence, the artiste so holding the pack as to see at a 
glance, and note the last four cards, as seen in 
Fig. 31. These last four cards are: Ten of 

4 


50 HOWARD THURSTON’S CARD TRICKS. 

hearts, king of diamonds, three of clubs, and six of 
spades. 

Say the card named is the three of spades. 
Now, according to table No. i, you subtract the 
given card (three of spades) from the first card of 
the suit (six of spades), which leaves three. Next 
multiply by four — twelve ; therefore, the three of 
spades is the twelfth card from the top. Now cut 
the cards as near as possible to what you think is 
twelve. Should you cut at the eleventh card — 
which would be the king of clubs — you imme- 
diately know the card following a club is a spade, 
and if you cut at the king of clubs, the next card 
is three spots higher — the three of spades — so you 
open at the next card. Or, should you cut the 
pack at the thirteenth card, which in this case 
would be the six of hearts, you know a heart is 
preceded by a spade, and if you have the six of 
hearts, the card before it is the three of spades. 



Table No. i. 

The following table should be thoroughly learned 
and memorized. 

We will suppose the performer has effected the 


Howard thurston’s card tricks. 51 

change of packs and is ready to find any given 
card in the pack, therefore he proceeds as follows : 

Subtract the given card from first 
card of suit from the bottom of 
pack. Now multiply it by four, and 
deduct the number of cards follow- 
ing the first card of suit. 

We will refer again to Fig. 31. 

Say the given card is the five of hearts, subtract 
five from first card of suit (which is ten of hearts) 
— five. 

Now multiply by four — twenty, less the number 
of cards before the first card of suit from the bot- 
tom, which is three, which, deducted from twenty, 
leaves seventeen. Therefore, the five of hearts is 
the seventeenth card from the topi 


Table No. 2. 

If the card named is higher than 
the first card of suit from the bot- 
tom, subtract the given card from 
thirteen. 

Now add the number of first card 
of suit, then multiply by four, less 
the number of cards following the 
first card of suit, and you will have 
the exact number of the given card 
from the top of the pack. 


52 HOWARD THURSTON’S CARD TRICKS. 

In Fig. 31 the last four cards are the ten of 
hearts, king of diamonds, three of clubs, and six of 
spades. 

We will say the five of clubs is named, the three 
of clubs being the first card of suit. 

As it is impossible to subtract five from three, 
you deduct it from thirteen (as explained in table 
No. 2), which leaves eight. Now add the num- 
ber of first card of suit, which is three — eleven ; 
multiply by four — forty-four, less the number 
of cards following the first card of suit (which 
is one) — forty- three. You will upon examination 
now find that the forty-third card is the five of 
clubs. 

With a little careful practice the student will 
soon become familiar with the arrangement, and 
that which now appears somewhat difficult will be- 
come very simple and easy. 

I can, within the space of three seconds, cut the 
pack to any given card. 


MINL OVER MIND, OR THE MARVEL- 
LOUS WILL POWER. 

A spectator draws three cards from the pack, 
not forced, and without looking at them, or the 
performer touching them, places them in his breast 
pocket, from which he has previously removed the 
contents. The performer now calls out the name 
of a card, and requests the spectator to hand him 


Howard thurston’s card tricks. 53 

one of the three cards from his pocket. Upon this 
being done, the card is found to correspond with 
the one previously named by the performer. This 
is repeated with the other two cards. 

This is a vast improvement on the old method 
of performing a very similar trick, and is highly 
commended. 

The performer asks a spectator to select three 
cards (making sure that the three cards are selected 
in a bunch). He then cuts the cards as usual, 
bringing the card just above the three chosen to 
the bottom. 

The three cards chosen must now be placed in 
the pocket with the faces toward the person, which 
is the natural way of doing it. The performer now 
notes the bottom card of the pack, which enables 
him to know the names of the chosen cards. Sup- 
pose the bottom card was the five of hearts, the 
first of the three cards would be the eight of dia- 
monds. Therefore, the performer asks the gentle- 
man to place his hand, as quickly as possible, into 
his pocket and hand him the eight of diamonds, 
which nine times out of ten will be correct, for 
this reason : In the act of the spectator placing his 
left hand in his right inside breast-pocket, owing 
to it being done quickly, he will seldom, if ever, 
place more than his four fingers in the pocket, the 
thumb remaining on the outside. For this reason 
the only card possible for him to take from the 
pocket in this condition is the top one, which is 
the eight of diamonds. If the reader will try this 


54 HOWARD THURSTON’S CARD TRICKS. 

experiment with himself, he will readily catch the 
idea. 

After the first card is produced, the performer 
calls for the next, which is the jack of clubs, and 
as there is but one remaining card there can be 
no mistake, as the performer asks for the ace of 
spades. 

I find this trick always has a great effect on the 
audience, and causes a considerable amount of ex- 
citement and interest. 



TO CAUSE A CARD SELECTED BY A 

SPECTATOR TO BE NAMED BY THE 

AUDIENCE. 

A card is selected by a spectator and laid on the 
table without its face being seen. The performer 
now states that it is impossible for any one to know 
the name of the card, but that he will cause the 
audience themselves to name it. 

The modjis operandi employed for this experi- 
ment is not absolutely new, but fits in well with 
the series of tricks in my system, and I, therefore, 
include it. 

Supposing the card selected was the eight of 
hearts, the performer secretly ascertains its name 


Howard thurston’s card tricks. 55 

in the same manner as explained on page 53, and 
forthwith addresses the audience as follows : 

“ Ladies and gentlemen, there are four suits in 
the pack : hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs. I 
shall ask some gentleman to name either two of 
them. Thank you, sir. The gentleman says 
hearts and spades, therefore it must be a heart or a 
spade. Now, will some one kindly name one of 
these. A spade ! Thank you, sir ; that leaves a 
heart, therefore it must be a heart.” 

To explain the above. The artiste knows, in 
the first place, that the card is a heart, and he in- 
terprets the answers from the audience to suit his 
own purpose, in the following manner : Had the 
audience said diamonds and clubs in place of spades 
and hearts, the performer would have said : “ Very 
well, sir; that leaves hearts and spades.” Now, 
with regard to the heart and the spade, had the 
audience said hearts instead of spades, the reply 
would have been: “Very well; it must be a 
heart.” 

Example : There are two cards left — hearts and 
spades. The performer wants the audience to name 
hearts. Suppose the audience names spades, the 
reply is : “ Very well ; that leaves a heart. ” 

Should they have named a heart, the reply is : 
“Thank you; we will make it a heart,” and thus 
the performer practically forces the card on the 
audience. 

Now, to continue the trick and cause the exact 
name of the card to be called, which is carried out 


56 Howard thurston’s card tricks. 

on the same principle, the performer continues : 
“ The suit is a heart, there are thirteen cards in a 
suit, and it must be one of the thirteen. We will 
divide the thirteen into odd and even numbers. 
Will some one kindly say either odd or even? 
Odd ! Thank you ; that leaves even. The even 
numbers are two, four, six, eight, ten, queen. We 
will divide them into two parts, above or below 
seven. Will some one kindly name above or be- 
low seven ? Above seven ! Thank you, sir. It, 
therefore, must be either the eight, ten, or queen. 
Will some gentleman kindly name two of these 
three ? Eight and queen ! Thank you. Now, will 
some one select either the eight or the queen? 
Queen! Thank you. That leaves the eight of 
hearts. Will the gentleman kindly turn up this 
card?” 

A suggestion as to the tone of voice in naming 
these cards will be of great advantage. For in- 
stance, suppose the queen and eight are left, the 
performer, wishing the audience to name the eight* 
says : “ Will some one name the eight or the 
queen ? ” with a strong accent on the eight, and 
nine times out of ten, if the words are properly 
spoken, the desired card will be selected. 


HOWARD THURSTON'S CARD TRICKS. 


A NEW MIND-READING FEAT WITH 
CARDS. 

I wish to tender my sincere thanks to my friend, 
Mrs. Hartley Milburn, of London, for the idea of 
this splendid trick. 

One or more cards should be selected by a spec- 
tator, and the pack laid on the table. 

A lady or gentleman sitting on the opposite side 
of the room (without even as much as a look from 
the performer) immediately informs the drawer the 
number and the names of the cards chosen. 

This trick, which can, if desired, be presented 
as an exhibition of genuine mind-reading, will 
create a profound sensation. 

The medium, or second party, to this experi- 
ment must be thoroughly acquainted with the order 
in which the pack is arranged, and should be seated 
on one side of the performer. 

After the card or cards have been selected, the 
pack is cut, and the card that was above those 
selected brought to the bottom. In the act of lay- 
ing the cards on the table, the bottom card is mo- 
mentarily exposed to the view of the assistant, thus 
enabling him or her to name the selected card, 
this, of course, being easily accomplished when 
one thoroughly understands the arrangement of 
the pack as set out on page 40. 

With a judicious addition of one of the false 


5& Howard thurston’s card tricks. 


shuffles described in this present chapter, two 
clever people can perform tricks on the above prin- 
ciple that not so many years ago would have caused 
them to meet the fate of a sorcerer. 


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